Culture

Students learn about the immigrant experience. In an Experiential Exercise, students explore the reasons why people immigrate, the challenges immigrants face in getting to the United States, and some of the benefits and drawbacks of being an immigrant.

Students learn how diverse cultures make contributions to life in our communities. In a Response Group activity, students explore cultural diversity by looking at the contributions of different cultures in the categories of foods, languages, holidays, and traditions, and they brainstorm lists of additional contributions.

Students explore individuals’ roles in making their communities and their country better places to live. In a Problem Solving Groupwork activity, students create human monuments honoring the contributions of four individuals whose actions made a difference in the lives of people in their own community and around the country.

Students compare and contrast their lives with the lives of children in other countries. In a Writing for Understanding activity, pairs study artifacts related to the daily lives of six children from around the world. Students use Venn diagrams to show similarities and differences between their lives and those of the children they read about. They then write a letter to one of the children comparing their lives.